ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: root · fall · cold · cap · bowl · spring · roll · object

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. spring — the season
  5. fall — the season
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cap — a lid
  10. root — of a word
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. object — a thing
  13. fall — to drop
  14. object — an aim
  15. cap — of ice
  16. root — the cause
  17. fall — to drop
  18. object — to protest
  19. roll — a list
  20. spring — of water
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. root — of a plant
  24. roll — a cake

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com